Written by Yes, Part 2 of the ongoing saga at Turnberry. If you want to jump straight to the video, click here.
If you missed it, I posted this article last week regarding Turnberry.
To save you a click (for now), I used to be a Licensed Community Association Manager (LCAM), and yes, I managed the Turnberry Reserve HOA.
I actually know many of these people.
They were a hot mess then. And it hasn’t gotten any better, apparently! I’m so thankful that I stepped out of that job and industry.
For today’s update, it’s all about the Annual Meeting.
What the heck is an Annual Meeting?
For those who don’t speak Condo/HOA, once a year the Association must hold an Annual Meeting of the Members, that is, ALL homeowners in that Association.
Typically, this also involves the elections for the Board of Directors (President, VP, etc.), unless no one else wants to run for the Board, or if there are an equal number of openings and volunteers (2 board members stepping down and only 2 volunteers = done deal, no election).
But if there does need to be an election, there’s a process in State Law and in the Association’s Bylaws (that’s the proper usage of the term!).
If there is a drastic change, there is a straightforward legal process in place to handle it.
But a coup?
When it’s a contentious election (coup is not too strong of a word in some cases), things can get ugly, and legally, um, sticky.
Because even with the laws clearly stating procedure, lawyers do, well, what lawyers do. They like to work the wiggle room and get paid to cause problems. (This is an important point that I’ll circle back to shortly.)
So when I had Turnberry’s Annual Meeting with all the fixings of a coup, I did the smartest thing a manager could do.
I had the Association’s Attorney attend, and hired two Sheriff’s Officers as security.
One of the best decisions I ever made.
The Outcome
6 hours later, at 2:30 AM (not a typo!), the Sheriffs had broken up two fights, and we had a new board.
And they promptly fired everyone involved.
New attorney also personally called and threatened me. Because I forwarded the (now) previous attorney’s e-mail stating Florida Statute regarding the document transfer procedure, he accused my of “Unlicensed Practice of Law” (UPL).
UPL is no joking matter, and I’m not easily bullied. This, however, was a completely hysterical accusation, worthy of a proper whooping.
My response was eloquent, equally threatening, and on speakerphone for my whole office.
Good times.
All of this goes to one point: I’m not surprised this happened at Turnberry.
And I’m still grateful that it’s not on my watch!
So, in today’s episode, here’s the update, including video from the scene.
Imagine, for one brief moment, being in the epicenter of this mess.
State reviews HOA security officer’s license after she was arrested (FL)
By: Karla Ray Updated: Nov 11, 2019 – 7:39 PM
KISSIMMEE, Fla. – State regulators are now reviewing the license of yet another employee of the Turnberry Reserve HOA after her arrest last week.
Security officer Ailyn DePena worked under convicted ex-cop Joseph Conover, who investigative reporter Karla Ray exposed breaking state law by performing unlicensed security in the Kissimmee neighborhood.
DePena did have an active security license, but it’s now in jeopardy and under review by the state. She’s accused of battery on a law enforcement officer and two other counts of battery while she was working the community’s HOA election last week.
Cellphone video caught some of the chaos outside East Lake Elementary School last week, when Turnberry Reserve residents showed up in mass for the election.
DePena was manning the door. 9 Investigates first encountered DePena in September, when we confronted her then-boss Joseph Conover. On that day, at his request, she called Osceola County deputies to respond Ray tried to question Conover.
An encounter involving County Commissioner Fred Hawkins led to DePena’s arrest. A deputy on scene at the election wrote in a report that he “observed DePena push Mr. Hawkins back in an attempt to restrict his access to the building.”
Homeowners cheered as DePena was taken away in handcuffs. In an interview with detectives, she said she “received instructions from Sherry Raposo to control access to the school media room by allowing only one resident at a time to enter.”
Raposo owns Management 35 Firm, which was just slapped with a statute violation by state regulators because the company does not have the proper licensing to provide security in the first place.
Original Article Here: https://www.wftv.com/news/9-investigates/state-reviews-hoa-security-officer-s-license-after-she-was-arrested/1007533413
Food for thought if you’re considering buying into an Association, such as a Condominium, Townhome, or HOA.
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